AMONG THE MORE PERPLEXING TRENDLETS we've scrolled past this year is "rawdogging," the act of denying oneself all forms of entertainment for the length of a long-haul flight. No books or games or movies or naps for our rawdoggers; instead, the guys-always guys, only guys-stare straight ahead at the flight map or the seat back of the person in front of them, spending the whole time lost either in thought or in search of a good one. As with all trendlets, there's no way of knowing whether it's real or just six goobers on TikTok with the same dumb idea. But it gained traction because it feels real. In a year when guys tried to out-guy each other via Cybertruck purchases and diss tracks, isn't it more plausible than ever that they'd try to one-up each other at nothing?
Relax, try-hards, and try harder. If you're going minimalist, go all the way. Rawdog the whole trip. Go somewhere new, with no plans, no guidebook, and-this is the key ingredient-no companions. If you do this in a foreign country whose language you do not speak, all the better. Solo travel, in an unfamiliar place and with an empty itinerary, is more extreme. It is much rawer. And it is delicious.
Apparently, we're already doing it. Sixty-nine percent of Americans planned to take a trip by themselves this year, according to an American Express survey. The number goes up to 76 percent for millennials and Gen Z, which suggests younger people are more comfortable in their own company or else they are more unpleasant to be around. I have found both to be true!
Either way, I believe in solo travel with the zeal of the convert.
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